ALB
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All this shows that the UN Charter is just a worthless scrap of paper. It bans war in principle but if you read the small print there are let-out clauses. Naturally states that want to go to war invoke these, All they have to do is to get some clever lawyer to draft a plausible pretext (as in this case). What this does is disguise the real reason for going to war. The most hypocritcal would-be justification is the claim that it is done for humanitarian reasons. No state is ever going to renounce war in the case that the vital interest of its capitalist ruling class are at stake.The attacking states argued that they had to act because Russia had repeatedly exercised its veto to prevent them acting against Syria in the name of the UN. Russia has exercised this over Syria 14 or so times. This compared with the 42 times that the US has exercised its veto to protect its client state in the area:http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/42-times-us-has-used-its-veto-power-against-un-resolutions-israel-942194703
I could go to this as it's just round the corner but I think I'll give it a miss. Though I suppose I could contemplate on "How do ‘Being’ and ‘Nothing’ “move”?" while distributing leaflets for the local elections.
alanjjohnstone wrote:I hope this latest blog post goes some way to explaining our position, Marcoshttp://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/in-response-to-syrian-air-attacks.htmlThat's excellent. We can use it in next month's Standard.
alanjjohnstone wrote:Air attacks took place but rather token muted affairs from my viewing of the reportsI agree that after all the sabre-rattling, drum-beating and bellicose rhetoric, all that the US and a couple of its poodles have done is to administer a slap across the wrists to the Syrian government. Israel could have done that on its own. It is of course a good thing that they didn't unleash mass destruction. The Army of Islam and those that faked the videos won't be happy of course as that is precisely what they wanted.Lucky that we didn't issue a statement, though we had prepared a front cover for next month's Socialist Standard denouncing the "latest example of capitalist barbarism". Fortunately this can be changed to denounce the hypocrisy of the capitalist states involved and their leaders and changing Trump's words from "righteous power" and "noble warriors" to "might is right" and "trained killers".Beyond that, other points are that they admistered their wrist slap without authorisation either of the UN or their own elected assemblies as, by their own standards, they are supposed to do and before waiting for the report of the chemical weapon inspectors due to commence their evidence collecting today.
No it doesn't. It just means that one of the Russian suggestions — that it was Porton Down what done it — seemed a bit of a cock and bull story. This doesn't mean that the British state's explanation — that it was the Russian government what done it — is true. The government itself originally suggested an alternative — that it was some rogue element that got the stuff from the old Soviet Union.Meanwhie the Russian government has produced some evidence for its claim about what happened in Douma:
Quote:Konashenkov released statements by medics from Douma's hospital, who said a group of people toting video cameras entered the hospital, shouting that its patients were struck with chemical weapons, dousing them with water and causing panic. The medics, however, said none of the patients had any symptoms of chemical poisoning, according to the satements. (http://abc7ny.com/politics/russia-claims-syira-chemical-attack-was-staged-by-uk/3337376/)This would only be evidence only that the videos were staged but not that the British Secret Services were behind it. But no doubt the OPCW will see the statements and interview the doctors and hospital staff who made them and come to some conclusion about them.
The point I was making was that both sides are claiming to have "proof" or "irrefutable data" as to what happened which are directly contradictory. We can't make a judgement as who is right unless they produce the evidence for it to be examined:https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/04/13/after-france-claims-proof-chemical-attack-was-assad-russia-says-irrefutable-data
Can't you send the pamphlets back to Head Office so they can be recycled to newer members (we've got enough back issues there)?. The Party has enough money to pay the postage.
Not to mention us. The term "state capitalism" was in use even before the First World Slaughter, as by Kropotkin, Wilhelm Liebknecht and, again, us (even before Cliff was born):http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1910s/1910/no-68-april-1910/evolution-and-state-capitalism
Bakground information:https://in.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-syria-chemicalweapons/factbox-chemical-weapons-inspectors-how-do-they-work-idINKBN1HK17A?rpc=401&Let's see what they come up with.
Interesting take on the situation by a former Sea Lord:http://talkradio.co.uk/news/former-naval-chief-syria-chemical-attack-could-be-propaganda-18041325517After Russia's cock and bull stories about the Salisbury incident now it's NATO's turn to come up with one about the Douma incident:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/12/syria-attack-experts-check-signs-nerve-agentSecret agents smuggling bodies through enemy lines and over the border to be examined by doctors in Jordan. They'll have to do better than that in their bid to show that a nerve gas as well as chlorine was involved.
Here's what the Socialist Standard said at the time:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1920s/1923/no-224-april-1923/socialism-and-fascisti
Whoever invented it, Tony Cliff is still saying it from beyond the grave:https://independentaustralia.net/article-display/neither-washington-nor-moscow-nor-more-war-in-syria,11397
This is supposed to be a criticism of him !http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43737547?intlink_from_url=&link_location=live-reporting-story
An opinion poll says most people in Britain are against it:https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2018/04/12/breaking-theresa-mays-plan-to-bomb-syria-just-hit-some-serious-turbulence/
Quote:By almost two to one, British people oppose bombing Syria, according to a survey by YouGov released on 12 April.But when has that made much difference to a government bent on war?Footnote: even the Ludwig von Mises Institute is against it:https://mises.org/wire/against-war-syria
A LibDem puts the case against bombing Syria:https://www.libdemvoice.org/taking-action-against-syria-is-not-liberal-interventionism-57182.htmlMeanwhile some Labour MPs, including its Deputy Leader no less, are clamouring for Syria to be bombed:https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/labours-tom-watson-backs-missile-12859462
